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We want you!

We constantly see messages all around us attempting to shape opinions, or promote a call to action among the masses. In popular usage, the word “propaganda” often connotes a negative or sinister effort to manipulate, although as this site will demonstrate, it is not necessarily sinister, or meant to mislead; it actually is more effective if it shifts public opinion with truthful statements. Propaganda focuses on attempts to shape public opinion, typically crafted and executed by a governmental authority, or those who wish to contest a governmental authority.

We often think about propaganda in wartime to encourage patriotism and vilify the enemy, but it is used with regular frequency in many aspects of public life and comes in many forms. This site takes a global perspective on the role, evolution, and effectiveness of propaganda as well as the connections to the advertising industry.

Propaganda is intertwined with technology, and the ability to effectively use (perhaps manipulate?) the available mediums. While propaganda has a long history, we will almost exclusively focus on the 20th century, as scholarly knowledge of psychology was combined with new advances in communications (along with the development of commercial advertising) to reach a wider audience. Arguably, new technologies do not eliminate older technologies for propaganda campaigns, but they can pose new challenges for those wanting to shape public opinion. The expansion of the Information Age means that deceptive messages or half-truths are easily transmittable, but could also quickly discredit propaganda attempts that rely heavily on deception.

“We Want You!” is a project started in Professor Glenn Kranking’s HIS 303 course (We Want You!: Propaganda and Persuasion in the Modern World) taught at Gustavus Adolphus College. Beginning Fall Semester 2016, students are researching and analyzing propaganda from the modern world for inclusion on this site. As a course within the History Department, the objective is for a more project-based approach that focuses on understanding and communicating historical context, developing and demonstrating critical analysis skills, and involving students in a public history project. The project is also a form of digital inflection into the History Department curriculum, using digital tools to research and communicate. This is part of a broader digital humanities initiative at Gustavus Adolphus College. Additional posts were created by students in HIS 212 (Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union).

To get a hands-on approach to propaganda, students in HIS 303 also designed and implemented a propaganda campaign for a “Get Out The Vote” effort on the Gustavus campus. Students determined the audience, medium, imagery, and texts. They produced and distributed their campaign on campus ahead of the 2016 election.

The content on this site is student-generated, with a focus on creating an educational tool that is publicly available. Each entry and analytical essay is signed with the student’s name. Any questions or concerns regarding content should be directed to Glenn Kranking.